Portal:Current events/2016 February 20
February 20, 2016 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War
- Two Serbian embassy staff abducted in Libya in November 2015 are believed to have been among dozens killed in yesterday's U.S. airstrike on an ISIL camp in Sabratha, according to Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić. (Reuters)
- At least 14 people are killed and 32 wounded in battles in the eastern city of Benghazi, most in the Boatni neighborhood, between the Libyan National Army and Islamist militants. (Reuters)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Al-Qaeda militants take control of the southern Yemeni town of Ahwar in the Abyan Governorate. (Reuters)
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- A United States Air Force operated MQ-9 Reaper drone crashes at the Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan. (RT)
Arts and culture
- Italian refugee documentary Fire at Sea, directed by Gianfranco Rosi, wins the 66th Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear award for best film. (Variety)
Disasters and accidents
- 2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
- Hundreds of evacuation centres are activated in Fiji as Cyclone Winston makes landfall in Fiji's outer islands and heads towards islands with higher population. (ABC News Australia)
- A curfew of 6pm is introduced with power out in many areas of Fiji. (ABC)
- A "state of natural disaster" is declared for the next 30 days with Cyclone Winston classified as the strongest storm on record in the Southern Hemisphere. (Slate)
- Cyclone Winston
International relations
- Syrian Civil War
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proclaims Turkey's right to launch operations in Syria against “terrorist organizations.” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu tells reporters, "The only thing we expect from our U.S. ally is to support Turkey with no ifs or buts." (Fox News) (Business Insider)
- Peace process
- The main Syrian opposition group says a temporary truce is possible if the Syrian government's allies, including Russia, "halt all fighting" in the war-torn country. A pause in Russian bombardments appears unlikely. (Reuters) (Voice of America)
Law and crime
- Jat protesters shut down 70% of Delhi's water supply meaning the Indian city could run out of water by the end of the weekend. At least nine people are killed in fighting. (The Times of India) (BBC)
- Calais migrant crisis
- French authorities give up to 1000 migrants, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, until 8 p.m. local time on 23 February to leave the Calais jungle camp. Those who refuse to leave will be forcibly removed by police. (Sky News)
- 2016 Kalamazoo shootings
- Seven people are killed and another injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County in the American state of Michigan. A 45-year-old man was later arrested in the city of Kalamazoo. (RT) (AP via Irish Independent)
- A planned refugee shelter is set on fire in Bautzen, German state of Saxony. (Deutsche Welle) (Deutsche Welle²)
Politics and elections
- 2016 United States presidential election.
- Voters in the American state of Nevada take part in Democratic Party caucuses, with Hillary Clinton winning against Bernie Sanders. (Fox News) (NBC News)
- Voters in the American state of South Carolina go to the polls for the South Carolina primary for the Republican Party with Donald Trump winning and Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in a close race for second. (2016 Election Central) (CNN) (AP via Boston Globe)
- Former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush suspends his campaign following a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary. (NBC News)
- China's State Council announces that Liu Shiyu, who had been chairman of the Agricultural Bank of China Limited, will replace Xiao Gang as head of the China's Securities Regulatory Commission. (Reuters) (China Daily)
- Ugandan general election, 2016
- The President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni is declared the winner of the Presidential election with 60% of the vote. European Union observers state that the election was held in an "intimidating atmosphere". (NPR)